


a good night's sleep

by rainny_days



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Platonic Relationships, Sleepovers, just. a metric ton of sugar, of the bad kids loving riz and riz loving the bad kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-02
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:28:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22993207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainny_days/pseuds/rainny_days
Summary: Riz doesn't, as a rule, sleep. The rest of the Bad Kids, however, are another story.(five times one of the Bad Kids fell asleep on Riz, and one time he fell asleep on all of them)
Relationships: The Bad Kids & Riz Gukgak
Comments: 101
Kudos: 464





	1. Kristen

**Author's Note:**

> hey anyone want some friendship fluff? anyone?

‘Oh, man, is that coffee?’

Riz blames the early hour for his slow reflexes as a freckled hand lifts his mug from his hands, and he whirls to face Kristen, giving her a look that he means to be threatening, but probably comes off more manically desperate. 'Kristen, give that back! I need it!’

Kristen grins sunnily at him, far too cheerful for someone awake at three in the morning. 'Chill,’ she says, confident and definitely a little tipsy. 'I’m just gonna- just gonna make your coffee _Irish_. It’s gonna taste _great_.’

'Please don’t spike my-’ Riz begins, his words drowned out by the glug of liquor in his precious caffeine. Kristen beams at him.

'We’re having a _party_ ,’ she informs him. 'So you have to be nice to me.’

’ _You guys_ are having a party,’ Riz corrects, looking out his bedroom door to the sleeping girls piled over his living room affectionately. 'It just so happens that it’s in my house, which you have invaded with malicious intent.’

Kristen giggles a little too loudly at that, and they both pause and look over as Fig snores once, loudly, before snuffling and curling into herself on the sofa. Beside her, the only other figure not flushed with alcohol, is Adaine, face soft in her trance as she sits neatly below Fig’s head, her hair fluttering slightly with the tiefling’s every breath.

'I mean, it was either here or with Gilear, and Gilear needs all the beauty sleep he can get.’

Riz snorts despite himself, and Kristen’s face curves with pleasure as she plops down beside him, feet splayed out as she offers him his mug back. Riz shakes his head, turning his face back to his board and resigning himself to pushing through the rest of the early morning without coffee. The thought almost brings him to tears.

Kristen stays mercifully silent for all of thirty seconds before speaking again, voice not quite hushed. 'What’re-’ she yawns. ‘What’re you workin’ on?’

Riz hesitates, glancing over at her. She looks- genuinely interested. Tired, but expression open and curious. It’s been some time since he’d met the Bad Kids, but it still startles him sometimes, how easily they offer their ear to him, how genuine they are in trying to share in his interests. It makes something inside him warm and squiggly in an unfamiliar way, and he smiles as he starts to quietly explain, pointing to the notes on his board, tracing from clue to clue and slowly losing track of Kristen’s increasingly sleepy nods as he gets deeper into his explanation.

He gets so lost in his investigation that it startles him when her head falls with a gentle thump onto his shoulder, her strawberry-blonde hair tickling his neck. He blinks down at her, face lax and sweet, and can’t help the fondness that lines every inch of him.

It’s not hard for a rogue to stay still for long periods of time, and when Kristen blinks hazily, hours later, her head is still on Riz’s shoulder. She looks up at him, hair sticking to her cheek.

‘Did’ya solve it?’ she asks, blinking through the light of the early morning.

Riz smiles back. ‘Yeah,’ he begins, and smiles helplessly back at her as he starts, once more, to explain.


	2. Gorgug

There is something singularly comforting, Riz thinks, about watching Gorgug fix something.

For all that he loved the other Bad Kids, there were few of them that he could just be _quiet_ with the way he could be with Gorgug, sitting on top of the Hangvan and swinging his legs as he watches him work, the orange of the dusk washing them with its warm glow. It's fascinating, to watch someone so big hunched over something so little. So very like Gorgug, to throw himself into something that he should by all rights be terrible at, and come through successful through quiet, unobtrusive persistence.

'Are you sure you don't want me to add anything?' Gorgug asks, slightly hopeful.

Riz grins and shakes his head. 'Thanks, Gorgug, but I need it back soon, so there isn't gonna be time for you to tinker around with it.'

'I mean, it doesn't have to take long- I could just buy some rocket fuel, and some sheet metal, and...' Gorgug trails off, eyes going slightly distant. Riz bumps one of his feet gently against the tuft of white in his hair, bringing him out of his reverie, and shakes his head again.

'I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but I don't need a jetpack. Also, this is a _briefcase_ , not a backpack, how would that even- you know what? Nevermind. No thank you, I would just like my briefcase to be functional.'

Gorgug pouts a little at him, and Riz smiles, hopping down slightly to sit on Gorgug's shoulders. Gorgug shifts instinctively to account for his weight, barely seeming to notice. He really was the best seat of all the Bad Kids, broad-shouldered and used to being careful with smaller creatures than he. Riz rests his chin on Gorgug's hair, looking down at his hands working on the briefcase, so big that they obscure the satchel almost completely.

'You're very good at this,' Riz tells him, earnest, and watches the tips of his ears redden a little with pleasure.

'Uh, thanks!' Gorgug stammers, and Riz decides to be merciful and not bring up the reason why he'd gotten so skillful so quickly.

It takes another couple of hours, but when Gorgug hands Riz his briefcase back, it looks- well, not as good as new, but definitely less frayed at the edges. Well cared-for. Riz takes the case from him and admires it, running his fingers along the neatly-patched seams.

'This is amazing,' he says honestly, then blinks up at the sky, which has darkened from amber to violet at some point. He looks back at Gorgug, and takes in the soft tiredness in his shoulders. 'Oh, shit, how late is it?' he glances at his watch. Hisses. 'Dude, you should've stopped hours ago!'

'But you said you needed it soon?' Gorgug tilts his head sleepily at him, and Riz purses his lips in exasperated fondness.

'Not as in the _same night_ , Gorg,' he tucks his briefcase into the crook of his arm and grabs Gorgug at the elbow by both hands, tugging him gently. Gorgug moves with him compliantly, the way he always does, and Riz sternly tucks him into a sleeping bag. 'Now, go to sleep. I'll tell the others to let you sleep in tomorrow- Sandralynn can drive.' he pauses. 'Or- actually, not Gilear.'

Gorgug nods woozily, then reaches his arms up in a beckoning gesture, ignoring Riz's exasperated look. 'My parents always gave me a hug before I went to bed,' he says softly. 'And you're nearly the same size, so.'

Riz bites back a retort, well aware that Gorgug is being completely in earnest. He looks down at Gorgug's huge eyes and shuffles down, letting Gorgug wrap him in a gentle hug.

After a few seconds, Riz begins to shift away. 'Alright, now- Gorgug?' Riz blinks as the arms around him go slack, and squirms a little upwards to look up at the half-orc. 'Oh my god, how are you already asleep.' Gorgug doesn't even twitch at the sound of his voice.

Riz carefully considers his options before sighing, shuffling a little more to reach into his briefcase to take out his book of notes. If he was going to be stuck here for the night, he might as well get some work done.


	3. Fig (& Ayda)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look. look? this is more ayda&riz friendship (bECAUSE THEY WOULD BE SUCH GOOD FRIENDS HNNNNGGGGG) bc i really wanted to write a bit with ayda but my brain will Not allow me to go off-format and add a non-bad kid chapter, so here's both of them. two kids for one.

When Ayda finds them, Fig is already asleep. Riz waves awkwardly at her as she approaches, careful not to jostle the head laid across his splayed-out legs. Ayda, after considering him for a moment, waves back.

'She fell asleep a while ago,' Riz says. 'You can- come over, if you want.'

'I do,' Ayda says, and steps to stand beside them. 'Fig trusts you very much.'

Riz hums. 'I- I guess? I mean, don't tell Fig I said this, but Fig trusts a lot of people very quickly, even though she likes to pretend that she's some kind of loner badass reluctantly letting down her walls.'

Ayda tilts her head, mulling over his words, before saying 'I think it's very sweet.'

'Oh, _definitely_ ,' Riz says, grinning at her. Ayda frowns.

'You're smiling like I made a joke. I meant it.'

'No, I know,' Riz lets a hand fall to Fig's hair, running his fingers over the dark strands fondly. 'I wasn't making fun of you for saying that- I'm just smiling because it's nice that someone else knows Fig so well. It's- as Fig would put it-'

'- 'Cute',' the two of them say in unison. Riz's smile grows a little crooked, and Ayda finds herself returning it slightly, caught as always by how effortlessly kind all of the Bad Kids are, how easily they make room for her. She shuffles a little closer, slowly sitting down. Riz moves his hand a little, giving her space to slowly reach out and start running her fingers through Fig's hair. She wonders, for a moment, if this is strange, to run your fingers through your paramour's hair while she is asleep in her friend's lap, but Riz seems unbothered, so she continues, taking comfort in the soft strands under her fingers.

'What I meant,' Ayda continues, after a few moments of silence. 'When I said that Fig trusts you, is that she is usually very wary about falling asleep. She has asked me to tie her up the last time we slept together-' Riz snorts a little at that, but goes quiet again quickly. '- for my protection. She believes that she is a danger to others while asleep, so it is a mark of her trust that she allows herself to be asleep around you.'

Riz is silent for a moment. 'Did she tell you that, the first time she was possessed while she was asleep, she tried to kill me?' Ayda nods. 'Yeah, it was- very scary, I'm not gonna lie. But the entire time, I was never scared of _Fig_ , you know? I knew it wasn't her- I would've known even if she wasn't, you know, obviously possessed.' he shrugs a shoulder. 'She's always worrying about hurting the people around her, and she doesn't seem to realize that _we're_ always worried about _her_ getting hurt.'

'Fig is constantly in very dangerous situations,' Ayda agrees. 'And I am constantly worried about her. She is- very important. Someone I never thought I'd get to have.'

'I understand,' Riz says, and sounds utterly honest. 'I never had friends before these guys either, you know? I was always- too awkward, I guess. I never really... _got_ , social interactions. But these guys - Fig - they accepted me immediately, business cards and all. It was kind of- scary, if I'm being honest. Still is, sometimes.'

Ayda looks at him. 'It's utterly terrifying,' she says. 'I have no idea how to navigate relationships that are not of a transactional nature, and you all are- it isn't just Fig. You are all very important to me.'

She finds the words strangely easy to say, and Riz nods at her, looks like he understands. 'I didn't get it, either. Why we would all be friends when we weren't solving a mystery together. But-' he hesitates, looks down. 'You're very important to all of us, too. To me. You're a good friend, Ayda.'

Ayda tries to blink back her tears, but small streams of fire run down her face despite herself. Riz looks panicked, hands flapping at her a little in distress. 'Oh my god, did I say something weird? I probably said something weird, I'm so sorry-' Ayda shakes her head.

'You are all the nicest people I've ever met,' she says, choked. 'And I am so glad that I get to spend this life knowing you.'

Riz flushes deeply at that. 'Oh, uh, thank you?' he says, voice high.

Ayda loosens her fingers in Fig's hair, where she found them gripping tight. 'You can go to sleep as well, if you'd like,' she offers, blinking rapidly. 'I can keep sentry over the both of you. Upon my life, nothing will touch either of you while I draw breath.'

'Oh! Uh- that's, thank you,' Riz says, still a little startled. 'But that's really not necessary. I don't, um, I don't really sleep.'

She frowns at him. 'Goblins need sleep,' she informs him.

'Well, yeah, technically, but I kind of, don't? I mostly live on caffeine and mysteries.' he shrugs a little. 'You can take a nap if you want, though. I- I mean, I can also keep sentry over the two of you, but I might just wake you guys up if anything happens.'

Ayda thinks his offer over, then nods once, sharply, before shifting slightly. Before Riz can react, there is another head in his lap, face to face with Fig.

'Is this the expected position for this kind of leisure?' she asks him, and Riz blinks down at her a few times before visibly giving up.

'I...guess? Sure?' he says, and huffs a little in amusement as she immediately closes her eyes, shoulders going lax with unconsciousness.

'That was cute,' Riz startles as he finds Fig's eyes looking up at him, bleary and affectionate.

Riz glares down at her. 'If you're waking up, does that mean I can have part of my legs back?'

'Nope!' Fig says, soft but no less cheerful for it, and closes her eyes before Riz can make a comeback. He looks down at the two sleeping girls on his lap, faces curled towards each other, and resigns himself to wobbling on pins and needles whenever he gets his legs back from the temporary ownership of his two warm, terribly dear friends.


	4. Fabian

'To the left- nevermind! Too late!'

Fabian spares Riz a glare as Hallarial very nearly hits his side with her rapier, barely avoiding a slice to his neck for his inattention.

'Stop- distracting- me-' he grunts out, ducking and rolling out of his mother's way.

Hallarial gives him a Look as she continues to swing. 'Fabian,' she says, voice steady. 'Are you saying that you are not able to maintain your swordsmanship in moments of distraction? Are you assuming that battles will always allow you to keep your focus, never unmoor you with-' she flicks her wrist, and Fabians stumbles, falls. She holds the tip of her rapier to his nose. 'Surprises?'

'But, mama-'

'No excuses, Fabian. Remember- your new abilities do not negate the need for you to keep your fencing skills sharp,' she softens a little. 'But you did well. We'll continue tomorrow- have fun with your friend.' She nods at Riz, who waves awkwardly back at her.

Cathilda lingers behind as Hallarial walks back inside, looking at Fabian questioningly. Fabian waves a hand at her, and she smiles at the two of them. 'I'll prepare some lemonade and kippers for the young master and young Mr. Gukgak,' she says, the dark skirt of her uniform swishing behind as she disappears inside. Fabian stumbles over to Riz, wiping the sweat off his brow.

'Honestly, the Ball,' he huffs, tumbling into a seat beside him. 'I didn't bring you here to distract me. I could've brought Gorgug, you know. Or Ragh. Or anyone else.'

Riz rolls his eyes. 'But nobody else could tutor you in math afterwards,' he points out placidly. 'Except maybe Adaine, and _she's_ not going to be any better than me as a spectator.'

'She'd probably be more quiet,' Fabian grumbles.

Riz frowns at him. 'Excuse you, _you_ were the one who invited me, because _you_ still haven't finished your homework.' Fabian rudely ignores him, and Riz flicks at his leg, yelping a little as he collapses his head onto Riz's lap, his one good eye closing. ' _Fabian_! You're all sweaty!'

'If you're not going to be a good audience, the least you can do is be a good pillow,' Fabian says, not opening his eyes.

Riz pokes his cheek. 'Fabian. _Fabian_. Faaaaaabbbbbiiiiiaaaannnnn-'

'Shut _up_ , the Ball.'

'We're supposed to be doing homework!'

Fabian keeps his eyes closed. 'Five minutes, the Ball. We'll do all the geometric functions or whatever after.'

'That's not even-' Riz's words trail into a huff as Fabian's breathing slows. He looks down at the broad-shouldered boy, taking in the lines of exhaustion on his face, and sighs, brushing damp bangs away from his forehead.

Cathilda smiles when she comes out with a tray of lemonade and small kipper cans to find Fabian still asleep, more than five minutes later. 'Getting some rest, is he,' she says approvingly. 'Don't tell the young master this, but he needs it. In my opinion, all you children do.'

Riz makes a soft noise of agreement, closing the textbook that he'd been propping on Fabian's hair. 'I guess,' he says, feeling his own weariness drag gently on him, as familiar as a well-worn pair of shoes. 'Hey, Cathilda? Can you get a blanket out here or something? I don't want him to catch a cold.'

Cathilda's smile grows wider as she nods, bending down to press a soft kiss to Fabian's forehead, then - to his mortification - Riz's, before stepping away.

'You're a good friend,' she says, and Riz ducks his head to hide his helpless pleasure as she goes back inside.


	5. Adaine

"You know, I've never tried to sleep before."

"Mood," Riz says, not looking up from his books.

"Okay, but I don't _need_ to sleep, though," Adaine sounds bemused and vaguely disapproving. "I just meant that I always trance, even when we have sleepovers and stuff."

Riz squints up at her, dark bags under his eyes. "Do you _want_ to sleep?" he asks, not quite understanding why anyone would choose the unproductive hell that is complete unconsciousness over the efficiency of trancing. He was fine with his own goblinhood, but he would kill to have the ability to trance.

"I...don't know?" Adaine furrows her brow. "I don't know what it's like, so I can't really say whether I prefer it or not."

She tilts her head slightly in thought, in the curious, thoughtful way Riz likes best.

"Do you want to try?" he asks. "I can, I don't know, get out some blankets. Make a fort or something."

Adaine's eyes light up. "I've never built a blanket fort before!" she says, bright and excited. Riz grins at her.

"I _only_ use blankets for blanket forts," he informs her, and scrampers up to pull her to the closet at the back of the bedroom, rummaging through the back of it until he pulls out a thick, old duvet. "Penny and I used to make these all the time, so I'm kind of a pro."

Adaine laughs in delight as he dumps his duvet in her arms, running over to his bed to grab the sheet on the bed, shaking it out to its full size before dumping it on the floor.

Building a blanket fort with someone so much taller than him is...different, and it takes a few adjustment to make the fort tall enough for Adaine to crawl in comfortably. Once the two of them are inside, Adaine looks around the small, dark space in wonder.

"It's so warm," she marvels, running a hand over a duvet wall. Riz looks around thoughtfully before scrambling out of the fort, darting back soon after with a few pillows and couch cushions in his hands. Placing the pillows strategically around the fort, he puts his hand on his hips, proud of his creation.

"Done," he says, smiling.

Adaine admires their work with him for a moment, before her brows furrow again. "So," she hesitates. "How do I..."

Riz blinks at her, considers. "I guess you can just, lie down?" he guesses. "Just close your eyes, I guess." Adaine nods slowly, taking in his words the same way she would when they're investigating a crime scene together. Shifting down, she slowly settles her head on his lap, blonde hair fanning over his thigh. 

"You could use a pillow," Riz says, amused.

Adaine shrugs from her position. "Fig does this all the time," she says, and Riz snorts, conceding the point. She closes her eyes. A minute passes.

"I don't think this is working. How do people sleep?"

"I don't think I'm the person to ask about that," Riz responds dryly. "I mean, I don't know, warm milk? A lullaby? Melatonin?"

"Sing a lullaby, then."

Riz splutters. "You want _me_ to-"

"Please?"

Adaine's voice is a copy of Fig's wheedling, and Riz thinks momentarily that the two of them have really learned far too much from each other. " _Fine_ ," Riz grumbles. "What do you want?"

"Do you really think I know that much about lullubies?"

Riz heaves a sigh, then, somewhat awkwardly, begins to hum softly, remembering a song that his mother used to sing to him, when he had been young enough to be tucked into bed. It's stilted at first, but he gets into the swing of it after a while, the melody falling more smoothly from his memory to his lips. By the time he finishes, Adaine's body is heavy, her breath coming in soft snores that he's never heard from her before.

When Adaine wakes up, Riz is looking down on her curiously, the question of her sleep as interesting as any mystery.

"How was it?" he asks, shifting back as she sits up, stretching curiously.

Adaine blinks a few times, still groggy, then smiles at Riz, open and sweet.

"I don't know if I prefer it to trancing," she says. "But it was fun, to be able to do it with you."


	6. Riz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oof sorry for the pause before the last(!!) chapter! finishing off my assignments in quarantine has been eating up my time like woah. stay safe, yall, and i hope that this last bit of bad kids love (and this fic in general) brings even a little bit of joy in these difficult times!

"This isn't an emergency!"

Riz crosses his arms over his chest, frowning at the Bad Kids, all in various stages of relaxation inside Fabian's truly absurd room.

In retrospect, he should've realized that something was up when Cathilda had only smiled at Riz when he rushed into Seacaster manor, demanding to know where Fabian was.

Adaine puts her book down to level him with a Look. "Oh, I think there's an emergency here, don't you?" She directs this last statement towards Kristen, who nods decisively.

" _Definitely_ ," she turns to Riz. Narrows her eyes.

"Now."

Riz blames the shock for not dodging out of the way when Gorgug and Ayda come up at his sides, grabbing him beneath each armpit and hooking him up, carrying him to the bed as if he were a stuffed animal.

" _Hey_!" Riz protests, beginning to squirm. Their arms only tighten in response.

"Sorry," Gorgug says, sounding apologetic but unmoved. "It's because we care."

"Care- about- what-?"

The second the two deposit him into the bed, Fig and Kristen sprawl over his torso and legs like two very warm straps.

"THIS IS A KIDNAPPING," Riz says as Adaine and Fabian sit on either side of his head, Gorgug flopping into a cross-legged seat at the foot of the bed. Ayda inches close to the foot of the bed, eyes flickering over everyone else before setting herself down gingerly.

"Don't be so dramatic, the Ball," Fabian says, flicking Riz's forehead. "This is an ensnarement at _worst_."

"And besides," Fig says sunnily, rolling over to her back. "We called your mom already. She's not expecting you back until tomorrow."

She winks at him, and he hisses back.

"Traitors!" he squeaks, a little caught for breath under the weight of two girls.

Kristen points a finger at him. "We would've been traitors if I'd cast Sleep on you, like Fabian suggested."

Riz looks at Fabian in outrage, and Fabian shrugs. "It's for the good of the world," he says easily. "You get it."

He casts Ayda and Adaine betrayed looks. "Even you?" he says, in an _et tu, Brute_ kind of voice. Ayda furrows her brows, looking a little worried, but steeling herself after making eye contact with Adaine.

"I have confirmed that goblins are not among the species that do not require sleep from several sources," she says. "So it would be detrimental to your health to continue in your sleeping patterns. You are quite important to me, and I would rather you be healthy. If I have betrayed you, I shall give penance in whatever way you choose- _after_ you sleep."

"Nobody's doing any penance," Adaine gives Ayda, then Riz, a look, before running a gentle hand through Riz's hair. "Look, you've almost collapsed in class three times this week," she says softly. "We're worried."

"I'm _fine_ ," Riz insists, because he _is_. He'd never needed _that_ much sleep, even before sophomore year. Sure, he wasn't doing his best in classes, but he was still doing better than Fig or Fabian. And sure, whenever he has managed to get some sleep, it hasn't been the _most_ restful-

 _(Baron dragging him into the mirror- Fig's eyes going blank- Fabian drowning as Riz watches, paralyzed- Kristen with a hole through her chest- Kalina's laugh- the_ mirrors-)

\- but he was _fine_. He can deal with it. He _has_ been dealing with it. He didn't need anyone to worry about him.

"I'm fine," he says again, and he isn't sure who he's trying to convince this time. If his friends' looks are anything to go by, it's certainly not them.

"Come on, Riz," Kristen says. "Indulge us. Think of it as a sleepover! We all know that you're a great pillow, so the least we can do is return the favor."

"One! Big! Bed!" Fig begins to chant, Kristen joining her without a second's hesitation.

Gorgug pats his ankle as the girls' voices die down, hand wrapping around the bony appendage in a gentle grasp. "If it helps, I haven't been getting much sleep either," he says honestly. "It might help if we slept together." Kristen wiggles her eyebrows, and Riz refuses to laugh. _Refuses_.

"I usually don't approve of too much sleep at a sleepover," Fig says, "But I'll make an exception. For you."

"How generous," Riz drawls. He sighs. "Look- I- I appreciate you guys worrying about me, but even if- I don't know if- I'm not _good_ at sleeping, okay?"

"Of course you aren't," Fabian says, with the easy imperiousness that Riz has grown so fond of. "You haven't been _practising_. You didn't think I have had my superb athletic skills without practise, or my amazing dance moves, or-"

"Point is," Adaine speaks over him easily. "We can help with that, if you let us."

"Even if you _don't_ let us," Fig corrects cheerfully. "We're not above dirty tricks."

Ayda reaches out her hand hesitatingly. Lays it on his other ankle, warm. "You told me that it was okay for me to rest," she says. "And now I am offering you the same words in return."

"It's gonna be okay, Riz," Kristen says, smiling at him with all the unwavering, enormous faith that she always had when it came to her friends.

Riz looks over them: Adaine, with her hand still in his hair; Fabian's fingers long and brushing his neck; Fig sprawled over his torso with an insouciant smile; Kristen, solid and steady, eyes half-lidded with reassurance; Gorgug's broad palm around one of his ankles, a gentle request; and Ayda, hesitant and trying, touching him with all the bravery that she's grown into. He lets - forces - himself to relax, going limp under the people he trusted most in all the world.

"Alright," he says, and presses down the fear in his lungs at the relief in their faces. "Let's have a sleepover."

(Sklonda Gukgak sees her son a full thirty hours later, eyes clear and smile brighter than it's been for months, and gives a quiet thanks to her husband for the gift that is the Bad Kids)


End file.
